One of the First
by KadiToka-Chii
Summary: They were among the first to come to New Vestroia, for their own reasons. Six oneshots/vignettes, each dedicated to a member of the much feared Vexos. Done: Volt, Lync, Shadow, Mylene, Gus, Spectra.
1. Honor And Hardwork

**Honour and Hardwork**

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**||KadiToka-Chii here. Well, I just had to start this… there's just so little Bakugan fanfiction that shows the Vexos in a half-decent light… just because they're so _horrible_ and _cruel_ and _inhuman_ and _evil_… they simply _can't_be represented in _any_ sort of nice way that could _possibly_ explain _why_ they're so _horrible_ and _cruel_ and _inhuman_ and _evil_… really now. And so, I chose to write this six-shot thing… first up, Volt. Just so that I can get the hardest out of the way first.**

**||Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.**

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Volt Luster had been one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

For the simple sake of showing everyone what honour and skill _really_ was.

It was because he was a well known brawler, with one of the most impressive winning streaks to be seen within the ranks. And for the colonization of New Vestroia, it was brawlers and nobles they sought out. The ones best suited to dominate and rule this wild dimension.

He had been proud, of course; how could he _not_ be? He knew of 'brawlers', if they could be called that, who were praised and revered for their so-called skill; skill that he knew was all a big trick. Their strategies were those of liars and cheaters. He, on the other hand, had spent hours training, strengthening his ability, and he had earned this privilege fair and square. The boons of hard work.

Hard work that had continued when he received an invitation to join an exclusive group of the elite.

The Vexos.

This, he thought, was a great honour. To be among the greatest brawlers of his country, and to brawl as an equal at their side, showing the awed citizens of New Vestroia what it truly meant to brawl; with dignity, with integrity, with honour…

How shocking it was to discover how wrong he was.

It was a group of the very liars and cheaters he looked down upon.

His first thought was to just simply leave. To be a part of something so disgraceful, so completely twisted from his morals, and to follow their goal to enslave a race of perfectly sentient beings was the most horrifying, disgusting things he could do…

But he had stayed. After all, there was no honor in leaving something he had pledged to be a part of. And perhaps he could provide an example…you never know.

Perhaps the others could learn what honour was.

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||And that was actually really hard to write. You don't really get much about Volt in the series… seriously, whenever I was watching and he appeared, I just kinda… zoned out… they do a horrible job with giving him a personality… I only think he's honourable and junk because of Wikipedia and the occasional scene I managed to force myself to watch; when he saved Marucho (I think) from the… sand (never actually watched that, just read Wikipedia), when he let Baron go after they had brawled, and when he asked Lync in disgust if he had any loyalty to anyone or something… and the fact that he wasn't happy when Mylene tossed their Bakugan…

**Anywho, next will be Lync. I think it'll be longer… perhaps…**


	2. Opportunity And Genuinity

**Opportunity and Genuinity**

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||Okay, so… I actually really love Lync. Not as a fangirl… more in that 'oh my god he's so bloody cute and awesome' kind of love… which doesn't always apply to fangirls… he's just so sneaky, and being a kid… I just think it's great… he's so frickin SMALL… so, anyways, his oneshot.

**By the way… I'm pretty making up his past. Actually, most of the Vexos' past, the way I imagine them based on their personalities… after all, the show doesn't seem eager to look into the villain's history. And if they do… it will most likely be something completely nonsensical.**

**And yes, the orphan thing is clichéd… but either Lync's parents were really apathetic about teaching him his ethics… or they just didn't/couldn't.**

**||Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.**

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Lync Volan had been one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

For the opportunity he could find there.

There was nothing for him in the crowded, suffocating streets of Vestal. Every abandoned building was being bought and restored to harbor the growing population, and those that were left for the homeless to take shelter in were already claimed by tight gangs of the fierce destitute.

He had always managed to find somewhere to whittle away the night; a cluttered alley, beneath a vendor's stand, or in that hollowed tree he liked so much. And he always found some way to make ends meet. All it really took was for him to shuffle by any person with that air of generosity, wearing tattered clothing and a sweet smile, and he would have pocket change and filched wallets to last him days. If worse came to worse, he could always just sneak away whatever unguarded food beckoned to him within the open-air market.

And that was how it had been since the biological terrorist attack. Since that lethal disease had swept the nation and left him without father, without mother, without siblings. A blurred mix of years spent running, hiding, stealing, tricking anyone he could with his 'naïve' youth and later mentally mocking them for their misguided judgement of innocence. Years of independence and solitude.

He hated this life. As much fun as it was to fool people into thinking he was cute and sweet and sad, it was frustrating… to see the looks of pity and guilty relief that it hadn't been them who had lost everything.

It was so... _boring_.

When he had first heard of the plans of colonize New Vestroia, his mind was instantly cooking up plots to ensure that he would be one of the ones aboard the ships. He couldn't get in as a brawler; he'd never played with Bakugan, only collected the little marbles on occasion to sell and barter away. There was no way he was going to be mistaken for one of the aristocracy. And no matter how much he stole, he'd never afford a ticket.

So he did the same as so many others looking for something different. He snuck aboard. And through sheer luck and skill, he managed to avoid being one of those caught and tossed off the ship mid-voyage. And soon he was on New Vestroia soil.

It was only a matter of days before he had gotten himself some Bakugan, for serious play; this was what this world revolved around, after all. This little game of marbles and cards and ferocious beasts that bowed to your will. If he wanted anything to change for him in this new world, he'd have to play the game…

How _great_ if felt to realize he was a complete natural at it.

He was no longer that scrawny orphan with the delicate looks who was commiserated; he was the _champion_ with the delicate looks, a celebrity in the stadium, on top of the world…

And when he was invited into the Vexos, he accepted right away. More glory to him, right? No doubt he'd be running the show in no time… he'd have the rest of his 'fellow elitists' under his thumb with a single adorable smile…

They had all hated him immediately.

Not a single one had been fooled by his adolescence, not for a moment. Even that idiot Shadow had been aware of Lync's true personality. They had looked at him, and their thoughts about him were clear on their faces; _who does this brat think he is?_

It was disconcerting at first; he had been hated before, of course, but never right off the mark, not when all they had seen of him was his childish appearance. But he got used to it… no, he _appreciated_ it.

For once, he could finally show his true colours; be his real, genuine self.

Being cute was a hassle, anyways.

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**||There. I actually enjoyed writing that… although it was a bit hard… surprisingly enough, the thesaurus doesn't offer many alternations of the word 'cute'. I just imagine Lync to be the type to use his looks to his advantage… I mean, look at him. He could be an actual doll. Actually. I would make him my doll. He's frickin adorable.**

**Next is the ever charming and delightful Shadow.**


	3. Freedom And Revelry

**Freedom and Revelry**

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**||Weirdly enough… Shadow also has a special place in my heart… despite being among the most immature villains I have ever seen (though José takes the cake… funnily enough, he also has a soft spot in my heart… a major one…), being utterly annoying, having very little depth, and many other flaws that simply make him… lovable.**

**Anyways, this is but another completely made up past. I just remember reading somewhere on some site with some description of the New Vestroia characters that Shadow was a noble. Now, seeing as the show doesn't actually SAY this, and it was just… actually, I think it was the official site that I read it on. Although the site isn't very… up to date… but yes, I simply took the idea of him being a noble and… twisted it slightly.**

**Nobles don't always have it great, anyways.**

**||Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.**

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Shadow Prove had been one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

For the freedom that he had always been denied.

He hated Vestal with a simmering passion; something that was slowly building up until all hell broke loose. He hated the servants who always scuttled past him with downcast eyes, hated the mentors and attendants who watched his every move with analytical eyes, hated this damn stifling mansion with the doors that never opened for him, hated the strict rules and mannerisms that kept him trapped within this regulated life.

Most of all, he hated his parents. And he didn't damn care if they were dead. Their stupid, suicidal choices should only have affected _them_. Not him.

He was among the few alive with the rare, refined blood of the Probe line, and the one with the most direct ancestry. And nobles should not be lost that easy; after his parent's suicide, they simply couldn't waste any more precious stock.

They had sworn to 'protect' him, to keep him safe from the harsh truths of the world, keep him happy and joyful and living and obedient… they would do anything to ensure he didn't follow his parent's downworld spiral into destructive madness.

Ironically enough, it was the same sort of measures they had placed on the last generation of Proves.

When the offer came around for a trip to New Vestroia, Shadow had made sure that none of his precious 'guardians' knew of it; if it meant turning the messenger into a gibbering wreck for life, so be it.

It was time for him to break free.

He wanted out.

It had been infuriatingly difficult to manage this trip without alerting the servants… but after some mishaps, he had made it.

And now, he was breathing _air_. Not the smothering air of the manor or the warm air of Vestal; he was breathing air that was crisp and cool and open. The air of New Vestroia.

_Now no one could stop him from doing what he damn well wanted_.

All that pent up energy, frustration, desires, he could let free in a whirlwind of insanity and abandonment. And there was not a singly frickin' thing _anyone_ could do about it. _They_ weren't the bosses of him, _they_ had no control over his life.

He was finally having some _fun_.

The Bakugan game had been a great way to release the stewing unrest he had let live all these years. There was a sick sort of satisfaction to see his opponent crushed and beaten, trapped in their loss. And the delight with their misery, not _his_ misery anymore, spurned him onwards; steadily and swiftly shattering the spirit of all those who dared to face him.

So of course he received the invitation to join the Vexos.

An organization that he swore to shake up; most of them were as sour as the idiots back home. He'd show them just how _stupid_ they were… how horrible their mundane lives were, that they'd be fools not to let loose like he had.

Besides, he was planning to make the _most _out of this new-found liberation. Might as well rope some other poor suckers in it.

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||Just an idea as to why Shadow acts so screwed up and wild... not entirely sure if it makes sense... next on the list, Mylene. However, it might be a while until I can get that one out; reason one, I'm having troubles with figuring out a semi-backstory/reason for her, and two... well, I'm one of the many crazies attempting NaNoWriMo. So, for November I'm gone most likely... perchance it was not smart for me to upload my first fic a few days before this expedition...


	4. Respect And Authority

**R E S P E C T.A N D.A U T H O R I T Y**

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||Okay, so, Mylene was hard. I think I've gotten her a bit figured out though… just enough… she's so extremely like Spectra, with the whole kind of… 'leadership' thing going on… and she clearly has some thirst for power. Clearly.

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Mylene Pharaoh was one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

To get the respect she could never quite earn at home.

It was a nigh impossible task, what with those _fools_ bumbling around their small home and keening for the attention from their parents, desperate for something other than an irritable scolding and aggravated sighs. She could only feel a cold satisfaction that they received as little care as she did.

If only it were the same way everywhere else.

The days of sexist ideals were long past in Vestal; those were for their more barbaric history. But there had always been something about Mylene that made others want to shy away, become overcome with a sense insignificance. Perhaps it was her sharp beauty, her cold hostility, the sense of dignity and arrogance she carried herself with. In fact, those were probably the most likely reasons.

Unfortunately for her, Vestals had a curious sense of foolish pride; it was to a rare few that they would fully submit their loyalty to. And she was not one of those lucky ones. Her natural aura of power would be ignored by desperate people trying to hold onto their own self-worth.

And so she received so very little recognition for her skills. Academics, athletic ability, her quick mind and brilliant ideas that one would look for in a leader. All ignored.

It was only a blessing that they couldn't overlook her ruthless expertise in the brawling ring; she was one of the select, coveted few to be given the chance to go and follow the Bakugan back home, to New Vestroia. Where all that mattered was the game of Bakugan and how much power one possessed on the field.

Where no one could forget her.

The Vexos were hailed as celebrities, _heroes_; who was she to pass up the chance to have that sort of mastery over those petty idiots who fawned over her mercilessness? It was among the greatest seats of respect she could ever hope for… just below the royal family itself.

And Mylene would achieve that sort of level soon, she was sure. As long as she strived harder, harvested every well of strength, revoked weakness and destroyed every blockade that dared to stand in her way, she would become the leader that she had always been born to become.

All that was stopping her was that damn Spectra…


	5. Shame And Loyalty

**Shame and Loyalty**

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||Yes… good old Gus, a dear, dear favourite of mine… again, not in a fangirlish way. He simply makes quite the interesting case to pick apart… even better if the show's writers had any sort of skill with their 'practice'. And the bioterrorism idea from Lync's oneshot once again rears it head here… *smiles sweetly*

**Oh, Gus~…**

**Also, I absolutely did not mean to imply SpectraGus. In the least. If it seemed that way, then know that I did not mean for that to happen. Gus is just… so extremely loyal that it appears he is within the realms of homosexuality…**

**I don't think he's gay though… possible for a guy to be devoted to a guy without being gay… at the most, he's bi.**

**…Which would be kind of epic… because then you could do this whole epic Spectra x Gus x Mira, and it'd be so messed up and hilarious…**

**||Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.**

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Gus Grav had been one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

To escape the shameful family legacy that he unwillingly had to bear.

It was an event that he hardly remembered, yet following him everywhere, in the dirty glares and the whispered accusations of those he passed, those who recognized the trademark blue hair and striking green eyes…

_Is that who I think it is? The child of those _Gravs?

_A wonder why they let such trash wander freely… after what they had done…_

_Those Gravs were crafty devils… you think he's just as shrewd as his parents?_

_Look at him… the son of the greatest traitors of this country… pathetic._

The memories were faint and muddled with the anxiety of the moment and his own denial, more like a nightmare than anything else… standing in front of the unassuming door of his aunt and uncle's while vaguely familiar voices murmured comforts and promises to be back soon, that they'd only be a few hours, and a slender hand brushing his hair back wistfully before departing…

_Being jerked awake as sudden shouts and slams exploded from downstairs, a mix of bellows and accusations shaking the entire building._

Being told, with disgusted and imperious looks on the faces of the soldiers who had barged into his relative's humble home, that he would again see his parents, and if he expected a decent future. to never _want_ to see his parents again.

_All a bad dream, any moment Mom and Dad would suddenly open the door with their warm smiles and soothing whispers…_

All the hatred that was thrown at him daily was enough of a reality check to shatter those whimsical dreams.

He had struggled to move past his parent's crimes, to make himself fit in the eyes of society and prove to everyone that, unlike the scum that had raised him for those first fleeting years of his life, he had nothing but utter loyalty for his king.

But what chance did these brushed off attempts stand against being the spawn of they who had lead a biological terrorism attack that had extinguished the lives of so many nameless faces?

He had had to make his own way into New Vestroia; with the money that he had hoarded and worked for so long and guarded so sacredly, he managed to buy a seat to the new land. Afterall, no matter his skill with a Gauntlet and those popular Bakugan, they would hardly just _invite_ him into another land, ripe to be destroyed by a possible mutineer.

But life in New Vestroia was different. Despite the strong presence of the aristocracy that looked down on him so, their suspicion _could_ be forgotten in the face of his prowess and ability.

This was a new world. A new beginning. A new chance to rise in the eyes of those citizens who had spurned him as he established himself as someone greater than a weaselly traitor…

_All destroyed by he who was so much more superior_.

_Shattered by the one and only Spectra Phantom_.

It had been a fair loss; no matter his hard work and dedication, Gus had proved himself inferior to this master of the brawl. And he accepted this silently, brokenly… perhaps greatness was something he simply would never achieve… perhaps he would end up like the former Gravs…

_A hand outstretched, beckoning_. _For him_.

The first welcoming hand that had ever been offered to him since his uncle and aunt had given up on saving him from the guilt that shouldn't be his.

"Come with me, Gus, and together we can create a _new world_…come, and join the Vexos…"

That was all it took for Gus to toss aside his past and old self. Just a few sweetened words, that hand that would unfailing summon him to his side, a chance at redemption. If Vestal and its inhabitants refused to forget the mistakes of his family, so be it… their approval was no longer worth anything to him.

Instead, he would prove his capability of unswerving loyalty to the man who was superior to them all in every way.

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**||… I really enjoyed writing Gus'… truly, truly did… anyways, now is the time where you click the little arrow button that goes to the next, and last chappie. Unless you have become bored with this fic and decide to abandon it. I don't blame you.**


	6. Power And Realization

**Power and Realization**

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||Okay… last one… and definitely the most difficult of them all because I can't just make up whatever past for him I wish… noooooo, the damn show just HAD to make him Keith… damn predictable plot twists… worse, he goes through this whole 180º switch in personality… friendly and lovable big brother with _meh_ looks (very… _meh_) who gladly guides his rash little sister through the path of life, to power-hungry evil villain in a pimp coat and who turns out to be DAMN hotter with blond hair and without a mask, but is sadly still an overdone version of the beloved Maskerado-kun.

**And that kind of switch is very hard to pull off realistically. No doubt the show will come up with some pathetic reason that totally kills their failed attempt at drama at making the main antagonist sister of the leader of the valiant Resistance… I was not impressed when his identity was confirmed… and the scene just… didn't make me gasp… they could have built it up better… like, added in some grey-scale flashbacks of the two of them as he slowly and dramatically pulls off the mask… AND THEN IT TURNS OUT HE'S NOT KEITH.**

**KEITH IS STILL MISSING.**

**That would have inspired a half-decent gasp.**

**But anyways, I'm rambling, and my author's note is slowly becoming longer than the fic, which likely pisses some people off, so I should shut up, but there's just so many problems I have with the Spectra/Keith deal… for example, in Mira's flashback when she had seen Hydranoid being tortured or something and she caught a glimpse of her brother before running out… clearly, he was still had the Keith appearance. Which was not too long after they arrived on New Vestroia. However, Spectra had to be around pretty close to their actual arrival in Vestroia, because we see him in the first episode totally pummeling Baron, and it's implied that the Vexos were primarily the ones to capture the Bakugan… and during those times he had to have had the Spectra appearance… and he doesn't go through a nifty appearance change when the mask comes off (thank goodness)… so my question is this…**

**Does he wear a blonde wig?**

**And is it just me, or is he paler as Spectra than he was as Keith? I swear that his skin tone changed…**

**Will stop this author's note now.**

**||Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.**

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Keith Clay had been one of the first to come to New Vestroia.

So that he could fully inherit that ghostly thrill of power that always threatened to slip through his grasp.

Brawling was like a drug to the Vestals. Every moment of it would seep into your every system, twist and slither through your blood impatiently until you found yourself hungering for a win to satisfy it, like a greedy demon taking home within your body to feed off your victory and scream at your failures.

Keith Clay was no exception… perhaps he was the greatest example of this.

He had been a fair, level-headed player; back then, his opponents were equals, Bakugan were toys that he had to take care of, and the whole game was simply something to waste his time with, an interesting diversion from his normal life.

_Hmph… that sort of wishy-washy thinking was starting to bore him…_

He began to play a bit more; because it was starting to become greater than just some activity he took part in occasionally. He was starting to become a hardcore brawler. He was entering tournaments, accepting every challenge that came his way, and becoming even more of a hero in his precious little sister's eyes.

_Still not enough_.

Before long, he was getting bored. Not because the game had lost its touch, that could never happen… because the majority of his opponents were overconfident half-wits that couldn't live up to their swagger when Keith's Bakugan took the field, as they were ruthlessly struck down…

He wanted something more. He wanted a challenge.

_And he wanted to rip that challenge apart until there was nothing left but a whimpering pile of disappointment._

He was good. He was amazing. He was supreme…

_Supreme… always on the top… always with the most power… but it still was not quite enough…_

It was like… a friend… a shadow of something that understood his desires, that urged him forward to be the best he could be, become the best there ever was… a phantom that hovered just at the edges of everyone else's reality, just out of his reach… a specter that everyone else would shy away from…

_A specter that he aspired to be._

And then the Bakugan were suddenly disappearing, returning to their home dimension, New Vestroia… all of a sudden, his phantom guide was drifting away, leaving him, and he was nothing, and it was all falling away from him…

_He needed it back._

They were going to New Vestroia. It was all because of his father, good old dad who had been giving him worried, then hard looks as his son's fascination with Bakugan grew… responsibilities came with being one of the top scientists of Vestal. His expertise was necessary, and if his children had to come along, so be it…

_He was going straight for the source of the power, where his phantom was spawned…_

He had all within his grip now, all would be his… he would go through anything to get it… even if it meant working below, _what a disgusting word_, that whiny prince, he would. He was the leader of one of the most influential groups of the country now… and never mind foolish little Keith Clay, _he_ was in control now…

Spectra was determined to realize his ambitions.

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**||And thus, my first fic comes to an end… feh, it wasn't that good a oneshot… I couldn't really get a grip on the timeline the show should have for the Spectra/Keith thing to make sense, so I just… ignored the timeline… the show barely has one anyways…**

**But yes… it would be nice if you reviewed, since the fic is now completed… but if you don't feel like it, meh. I don't really like the idea of me begging for reviews… because I will surely come across as a childish bitch who needs some consolement on what little skill I have. And anyways, reviews are just an added bonus… I don't really need them to live. Although, if they contained critique, I WOULD need them to 'live'.**

**And that reminds me… those of you who had reviewed and alerted or even just READ this story, a thanks for bothering with me and my... idiocy. A beggar I don't wish to be, but I do like to be grateful for those pretty bonuses.**


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